Archives for October 2011

‘He had been battling liver problems for several years, though according to former teammate Andre Reed, Hull had been feeling better the past several months.’

‘”He had some health issues, but he didn’t want anyone to pamper him or worry about him,” said former MSU defensive lineman Mike McEnany, Hull’s roommate in college. “He didn’t want the attention.”‘

‘Mississippi State University, where Hull played his college ball, announced he passed away on Tuesday afternoon. The cause of death was not immediately known.’

‘The Mississippi native began his pro career as quarterback Jim Kelly did — in the USFL with the New Jersey Generals — whereas Kelly started with the Houston Gamblers. Both men arrived in Buffalo in 1986 and retired following the 1996 season.’

‘Hull, son of Charlie Hull who played basketball at Mississippi State, received his degree in business administration from the university in 1984. He is survived by his wife, Kay, and two children, Drew and Ellen. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.’

‘”I was truly shocked to lose a former teammate at such a young age,” said Steve Christie. “He was the backbone of the Bill’s offense during the Super Bowl era. I was honored to be his teammate on and off the field. Personally, Kent played a major part of what I would consider to be my most memorable years in the NFL. My heart goes out to his family and my prayers are with them.”‘

‘Words fall short when the pain runs so deep. I’m finding it hard to describe what this loss means to me and my family.’

‘Buffalo’s defense, which is still relatively young, has to become stouter and find a way to get more pressure on the quarterback. The Bills yielded several long drives against the Giants and were unable to force a turnover, at times giving Eli Manning enough time in the pocket to read his stock portfolio.’

‘While it’s easy to focus on those two, tough field-goal losses, a pair of Buffalo’s victories – rallying from 18 and 21 points down to beat the Raiders and Patriots, respectively – were stolen wins.’

‘After the 80-yard run, the Giants adjusted not only to prevent another Jackson breakout, but to stop Wood from peeling off and taking out a linebacker like Boley, whom he outweighs by more than 80 pounds. The Giants played tackles Benard and Canty in the two gaps on either side of the center to thwart Wood from blocking linebackers.’

‘Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson also want for new deals. They’ve earned it. It’s fine to talk about working for the good of the team. At some point, the team must show it’s serious about competing with the rest of the league by paying the guys who produce.’

‘"He’s got good hands, you saw that [Sunday]. He catches the ball when you throw it to him," Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said of Spiller. "He’s tough because he’s fast and they’ve got to respect his speed. He made a really nice catch coming over to the sideline, a 20-yard type catch [it went for 15 yards]. I mean, he really looked like a receiver on that. He did some good stuff. He’s going to add some versatility. With Donald [Jones] being out we had to throw him out there. He surprised some people with how well he handled it."’

‘Of course, it helps Fitzpatrick that his offensive line has been better than almost anyone could have imagined. When Nix was saying that his late-season 2010 pickups Kraig Urbik, Erik Pears and Chad Rinehart could actually play, I rolled my eyes. But it turns out the old ball scout was right. Those guys aren’t bad, and the improvement of Demetrius Bell – until he got hurt again – really helped solidify things along with the move of Eric Wood to center.’

‘The Bills would need to go 6-4 in their 10 remaining games to reach the 10-6 they’d probably need to make the playoffs as a wild card. Most of the team’s fans seem to believe that is more likely than not to happen.’